Book construction



Nov. 30, 1965 3,220,752

M. M. SLOVES BOOK CONSTRUCTION Filed May 20, 1963 INVENTOR. MATI'HEW M 5401/55 A Wop/v5) United States Patent 3,220,752 BOOK CONSTRUCTION Matthew Mark Sloves, Rego Park, N.Y., assignor to Sloves Mechanical Binding Company, Inc., New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed May 20, 1963, Ser. No. 281,677 2 Claims. (Cl. 281-33) This invention relates generally to the manufacture of books, and more particularly to a book having a flap extension hinged to one cover thereof and adapted selectively to form a protective closure for the book or to define with the covers an inclined platform or lectern to facilitate reading.

When a book is held in the hands of a reader, it is normally inclined by him with respect to the horizontal plane, the angle of inclination being such as to avoid reflection from the pages of the book. Such reflection, especially when the book is made of glossy paper, interferes with the ability of the reader. When, however, the book is laid flat on a table, reading is rendered uncomfortable not only by reason of glare, but also because the book pages are then not at right angles to the line of v1s1on.

Where a book is a technical instruction book intended to be read as a reader manipulates tools or instruments, the reader has no choice but to lay the book on the table, in which case the disadvantages mentioned above are encountered and the reader has difliculty in following the instructions.

Another drawback of conventional book constructions is that when the text is printed on one side of a given sheet and continues on the reverse side of the sheet in accordance with the customary pagination practice, if a given page is positioned to be most comfortably read, when the sheet is turned, this position is shifted. Thus with instruction books, where the reader is not free to shift his position, since he is manipulating an instrument or other device as he reads, with the usual pagination the print cannot be as readily read when the sheet is turned.

Accordingly, it is the principal object of the present invention to provide a book having a flap extension hinged to one cover thereof, which extension acts as a closure for the book and also defines with the covers an inclined platform or lectern to facilitate reading at a desired angle.

More particularly, it is an object of this invention to provide a spirally bound book of the above-noted type, in which the flap extension is capable of assuming and maintaining two positions, in the first of which the flap hinged to the bottom cover of the book is folded over and locked to the top cover, and in the second position, the top cover is folded under the bottom cover and is so attached to the flap as to aiford a triangular platform.

Also an object of the invention is to provide a spirally bound book whose binding edge is at the bottom of the printed sheets therein, the pagination of the book being such as to run sequentially through the top faces of the sheets, and thereafter continue sequentially through the obverse faces of the sheets, whereby the page position relative to the reader remains unchanged.

Also an object of the invention is to provide a book of sturdy and inexpensive construction capable of withstanding the prolonged and rough handling of the character encountered by heavily used instruction books.

For a better understanding of the invention, as well as other objects and further features thereof, reference is made to the following detailed description to be read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherein like elements in the several views are identified by like reference numerals. In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a book constructed in 3,220,7 52 Patented Nov. 30, 1965 "ice accordance with the invention, the book being shown in its closed condition;

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal section taken along the plane indicated by line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the same book in its open condition, the covers of the book jointly with the closure flap thereof defining an inclined platform or lectern to facilitate reading; and

FIG. 4 is a section taken along the plane indicated by line 44 in FIG. 3.

Referring now to the drawing, a book constructed in accordance with the invention is constituted by a top cover 10, a bottom cover 11, between which covers is bound a stack of printed paper sheets 12. The sheets 12 are spirally bound into the book, this being accomplished by drilling a row of perforations through the lower edges of the two covers and the sheets, and coiling a wire helix 13 therethrough.

I-Iingedly attached to the upper edge of bottom cover 11 is a flap, generally designated by numeral 14, the flap consisting of a backing piece 14a hinged at 14b to bottom cover 11, a main panel hinged at 14d to strip 14a, and a flange 14e hinged at 14] to the main panel 14c.

The cover and flap components may in practice be fabricated of binders board, pasted chip board, or other suitably stiif material covered by a flexible plastic or fabric material, the lining material in the flap components providing the desired flexible hinges at the junction points thereof.

Aflixed to the flap flange 14a is a female snap button 15 adapted to engage and interlock with either one of two male snap buttons 16 and 17 aflixed to the top cover 10 along the central axis thereof. Male button 16 lies adjacent the upper edge of the top cover 10, while the second male button 17 is inwardly disposed therefrom.

The Width of backing piece 14a is substantially equal to the thickness of the book so that when, as shown in FIG. 2, the flap, which is hinged to the bottom cover, is folded over the top cover, piece 14a lies against the upper edge of the book, whereas the panel 14c and the flange 14c lie flat against the top cover at right angles to strip 14a, at which position the female snap button 15 engages the inner male button 17. In this manner, the book is locked and the sheets thereof protected.

To open the book, the flap is unsnapped from male button 17 and, as shown in FIG. 3, the top cover 10 is swung under the bottom cover 11, the flap position then being reversed so that the female snap button 15 can now engage the male button 16. In this condition, the panel 140 of the flap forms the substantially vertical side of a triangular platform in which top cover 10 forms the base and bottom cover ll'of the hypotenuse.

Thus sheets 12 are supported at an angle to the base, the bottom of the sheets, as best seen in FIG. 3, being at the binding edge rather than opposed to the binding edge, as in conventional books. The angle of inclination is determined largely by the width of the main panel 140, and the flap dimensions may be designed to provide the optimum angle for viewing.

In printing a book in accordance with the invention, the pagination must bear the above-noted difference in mind. The first, second, third and succeeding pages of the book are printed on the top faces of the sheets in the stack, the first line of printing being adjacent the edge opposed to the binding edge. The pages following the last page appearing on the top face 'of the lowermost sheet in the stack, is printed on the obverse face of the topmost sheet, the remaining pages being printed on succeeding obverse faces.

In reading a book of this construction, the sheets lie on the triangular platform at the optimum glare-free angle .3, with respect to the reader. After reading a given page, the reader turns the sheet over, and instead of continuing to read on the reverse side, he instead reads on the next sheet in keeping with the pagination as described above. He does not read on the reverse side until he has finished all of the pages appearing on one face of the sheets, at which point the entire stack of, sheets is turned over so that reading may be continued in the same manner. In this way, the pages always lie at the desired angle to the reader.

While there has been disclosed what at present is considered to be a preferred embodiment of the invention, it will be understood that many changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the essential spirit of the invention. Thus, instead of the spiral binding, a loose-leaf or other form of binding permitting the sheets to lie fiat on the platform, may be used. It is intended, therefore, in the annexed claims to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A book comprising separate top and bottom covers and a stack of sheets bound therebetween spirally by a helix passing through a row of apertures running along the lower edge of said covers and stack, a flap connected to said bottom cover, said fia'p being constituted by a backing piece hinged to the upper edge of said bottom cover, a main panel hinged to said piece and a flange hinged to said panel, and detachable means to secure said flange to said top cover at a first position effecting closure of said book whereby said piece lies against the upper edges of said covers and said panel and flange overlie said top cover, and

in a second position in which said top cover is folded under said bottom cover and is secured thereto to form a triangular platform for said sheets, said panel forming the vertical side of said triangular platform and being of a length smaller than that of said sheets, said sheets being printed with a text whose first line per page begins adjacent the edge opposed to the binding edge, the pagination of said sheets being such that the pages run in sequence on the top faces of the sheets and then continue on the reverse faces thereof, whereby the book is readable by first scanning the top pages of the sheets in sequence and then after reversing the platform scanning the reverse pages 1n sequence.

2. A book as set forth in claim 1, wherein said detachable means is constituted by a female snap button afiixed to said flange, and first and second male snap buttons aflixed at spaced positions to said top cover.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,635,420 7/1927 Johnson 281-33 1,675,406 7/ 1928 Douglas 281-33 X 2,091,260 8/1937 FaIkas et al 281-33 X 2,229,012 1/ 1941 Geyzer 28133 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,019,995 11/ 1957 Germany.

JEROME SCHNALL, Primary Examiner.

LAWRENCE CHARLES, LEONARD W. VARNER,

Examiners. 

1. A BOOK COMPRISING SEPARATE TOP AND BOTTOM COVERS AND A STACK OF SHEETS BOUND THEREBETWEEN SPIRALLY BY A HELIX PASSING THROUGH A ROW OF APERTURES RUNNING ALONG THE LOWER EDGE OF SAID COVERS AND STACK, A FLAP CONNECTED TO SAID BOTTOM COVER, SAID FLAP BEING CONSTITUTED BY A BACKING PIECE HINGED TO THE UPPER EDGE OF SAID BOTTOM COVER, A MAIN PANEL HINGED TO SAID PIECE AND A FLANGE HINGED TO SAID PANEL, AND DETACHABLE MEANS TO SECURE SAID FLANGE TO SAID TOP COVER AT A FIRST POSITION EFFECTING CLOSURE OF SAID BOOK WHEREBY SAID PIECE LIES AGAINST THE UPPER EDGES OF SAID COVERS AND SAID PANEL AND FLANGE OVERLIE SAID TOP COVER, AND IN A SECOND POSITION IN WHICH SAID TOP COVER IS FOLDED UNDER SAID BOTTOM OVER AND IS SECURED THERETO TO FORM A TRIANGULAR PLATFORM FOR SAID SHEETS, SAID PANEL FORMING THE VERTICAL SIDE OF SAID TRIANGULAR PLATFORM AND BEING OF A LENGTH SMALLER THAN THAT OF SAID SHEETS, SAID SHEETS BEING PRINTED WITH A TEXT WHOSE FIRST LINE PER PAGE BEGINS ADJACENT THE EDGE OPPOSED TO THE BINDING EDGE, THE PAGINATION OF SAID SHEETS BEING SUCH THAT THE PAES RUN IN SEQUENCE ON THE TOP FACES OF THE SHEETS AND THEN CONTINUE ON THE REVERSE FACES THEREOF, WHEREBY THE BOOK IS READABLE BY FIRST SCANNING THE TOP PAGES OF THE SHEETS IN SEQUENCE AND THEN AFTER REVERSING THE PLATFORM SCANNING THE REVERSE PAGES IN SEQUENCE. 